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Lebanon tribunal charges under wraps as tensions rise
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands (AFP) -- The tribunal set up to try the killers of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri insisted Tuesday on keeping its first indictment under wraps as fears of violence rose on the streets of Beirut.The prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon warned that speculation on the indictment which he submitted on Monday and is widely believed to implicate Hezbollah, would be "counter-productive". "This is the first step in our collective quest to end impunity in Lebanon," prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said in a recorded message as soldiers deployed in Beirut amid soaring tension. Dozens of unarmed men gathered in several neighborhoods in mainly Muslim west Beirut early on Tuesday in a show of force that prompted panicked parents to pull their children from classes and some schools to shut down for the day. A heavy army presence could be seen by midday in response. "The gatherings may signal preparations to mobilize in relation to the indictments handed down," a security official told AFP. In expectation of being named in the indictment, Hezbollah warned on Sunday it would "defend" itself and branded the tribunal, based in Leidschendam near The Hague for security reasons, a tool of the United States and Israel. The powerful Shiite grouping, which enjoys the backing of Iran and Syria, withdrew from the Lebanese cabinet with its allies last Wednesday, prompting the collapse of the unity government led by Western-backed Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the murdered former premier. Bellemare insisted he would not reveal the charges or the names of those listed in the indictment in connection with the massive car bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on the Beirut seafront six years ago. Registrar Herman von Hebel added that a trial could start by September or October "if things go well", regardless of whether an arrest has been made. The tribunal's rules allow for suspects to be tried in their absence. They can be arrested even after their conviction. Bellemare stressed that justice could not be rushed, and that any evidence presented to the court had to be "credible and compelling.I have made it clear from the start that I would act independently and that I would be driven by the evidence alone," he said, thanking his team for hard work under "challenging circumstances" and "many attacks against the tribunal." Posted by: tu3031 2011-01-20 |
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